It’s one of the great football debates of modern times: Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo- who is the best? A look at our Europe All Star XI of the season shows the pair stood head and shoulders above the rest in the 2010/11, as the only two players to average more than 8.0 per game in our ratings. For vastly differing reasons, both had outstanding campaigns for their respective clubs. Here’s the lowdown on their performances:
Cristiano Ronaldo: Season Rating 8.29
A record-breaking goal scoring season has seen the Portuguese superstar pick up the Golden Boot for 2010-11, with 40 Goals from a total of 34 league appearances. The tally is the highest ever for a single campaign in Spain’s top-flight, and with 6 Goals in both the Champions League and Copa del Rey, Ronaldo has a total of 52 Goals for his club in all competitions.
Ronaldo was far and away Madrid’s main attacking threat -averaging 5.6 Shots per game- and also picked up 11 Assists, which saw him play a part in 51 of his side’s 102 Goals, an incredible ratio of 50%. When it comes to Assists, only Mezut Ozil managed more for the side, with 17. Ronaldo also averaged 1.91 Key Passes per game, bettered only by Ozil and Angel Di Maria, and had a Pass Accuracy of 76%.
With 2.2 Successful Dribbles per game, Ronaldo was just pipped by Marcelo (2.3) and showed his prowess in the air, winning 66% of all Aerial Duels. He also scored the perfect 10 in our ratings on seven occasions -with three on his last four games- and picked up 13 Man of the Match awards in an extraordinary season, from a personal perspective, though his sights will surely be set on helping the club to more silverware next time round, with just the Copa del Rey to show for all Madrid’s efforts this season.
Lionel Messi: Season Rating 8.78
Neck and neck with Ronaldo for goals until the last four games of the season, where Messi, surprisingly, failed to find the net and the latter grabbed 11. The little Argentine still finished the season with 31 Goals from 33 league appearances and with the Champions League Final still to come this weekend, has scored 11 goals in Europe, 6 in the Copa del Rey and 3 Spanish Super Cup goals, for a current total of 50 in all competitions.
Despite being lauded for their overall team ethic, a look at the stats shows just how superior Messi’s performances were in comparison to his Nou Camp team mates. Those 31 league goals saw him end the season as top league scorer for Pep Guardiola’s side and he also picked up the most Assists, with 18, meaning he contributed to 49 of his side’s 95 goals, a brilliant ratio of 51%. Across Europe, only Marvin Martin of Sochaux has managed more Assists, with 19 and one game left to play.
Messi also averaged more Shots per game than any Barca player, with 3.7, and there’s no surprise his incredible 5.6 Successful Dribbles was also better than any team mate. His 2.03 Key Passes per game was second to Xavi, with Messi having a 86% Pass Accuracy.
Such stats led to an astonishing 23 Man of the Match awards, with Messi given the perfect 10 on eight occasions. As well as picking up the FIFA Ballon d’Or in December, he has led his team to their third successive La Liga title, the Spanish Super Cup and this Saturday’s Champions League Final against Manchester United.
